Sunday, December 28, 2008

Knits in 2008

Well the end of the year is coming, so I thought I'd look at what I've done over the past year in this world of Ps and Ks.

Knits in  2008 Part I

Knits in 2008 Part II

I had to split into two mosaics because for some reason, fdflickrtoys couldn't manage a 24 tiled mosaic - which is really strange. But I've tried a LOT of times and it still didn't work. So there, I decided to split up the mosaic into two.

Incidentally that also shows how much more I've done in the past year as compared to 2006 and 2007. I guess I'm knitting a little faster than before~ :) Not fast enough though, because I still have so much I want to do and so much yarns I want to use up. :P Among the projects, I'm surprised to have completed 3 scarves, 4 shawls, 5 pairs of socks, and 6 pairs of Fetchings! I feel really accomplished!

I hope to be able to continue knitting as much as I can next year like I did this year, and without giving up my gaming time or reading time. I don't think I'll have as many FOs next year though, especially if I do get to start work. I'm keeping my fingers (and toes and needles) crossed because although work means less knitting time, it means more moolah. And more moolah is good.

Well the year has its ups and downs, and as many of you would agree, knitting is good company during bad and good times. I am really pleased to have it with me when I get stuck in my games, when I run out of books to read, when I get bored in the MRT and when I am trying not to fall asleep in front of the tv.

Let's enjoy the last few days of 2008 and Have A Knitterly, Crafterly 2009 ahead everyone!! May there be more knits, yarns and FOs to come! :D

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Have a very Merry Christmas, everyone!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Season of Fetching

Fetching


I've got 6 Fetchings done this year, all for different recipients.

The first pair was mine of course, done with Jaeger Extra Fine Merino. It's a Valentine's day gift set for us with Dashing.

Then I had a Fetching Frenzy around November and I thought I'd make them for some recipients. I had them in my head but I never found time to go down to get the yarns. I only managed to get the yarns in early Dec and made them all in a span of 6 days - with a break in between. So really, if you're looking for a last minute project, and have a ball of DK somewhere, try this!

:)

Saturday, December 13, 2008

La Reine

I finished and blocked this awhile ago but never had the chance to take it out for a good photoshoot.

Anyways here's my Queen Anne's Lace :)

La Reine


Queen Anne's Lace in Jaeggerspun Zephyr in Mahogany.

La Reine


I loved knitting every bit of this. It was a pattern that keeps one interested and even though it gets bigger with every knitted round. LOVE it!!

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Monkey

I'm back with a post!!

These are my monkeys.

Monkey


The pattern is great!! I really love it. I did change the heel to an Eye of Partridge heel with garter edges though. I didn't like the original stst heel, especially with yarn like KP Essential - I don't think it's a good idea.

Why? KP Essential is very soft and fun to work with. But the problem is it pills easily, and soon I risk having 'furry' socks. You can see in some of my pictures that it attracts all sorts of stuff (like my dog's hair for example) very VERY easily. I have a feeling this would make the knitted fabric not very lasting...

Monkey


On the other hand, I do love the pair as a whole. I love scrunching my socks when I wear them. So this pair makes me want to do that immediately. And here you can see me scrunch up the socks and the eye of partridge heel, which I think works great with the yarn's variegation!

Monkey


I did this pair of socks simultaneously on dpns. And there's a strange story during my knitting process. Please scroll directly too the bottom if you find the story too long.

So you see I left one sock (presumeably sock A) on the needles at the end of the gusset decreases. And I started to work on sock B. On the day I was set to finish ONE sock (in this case sock B) I took out sock A to admire. (really!)

And lo and behold, the two socks are of the same length.

Somewhere in between I had been working on sock A as well! I had initially thought it was strange sock B was taking such a long time, and I would take an equally long time with sock A - so a large part of my knitting was sprinkled with 'why why why why why'. I also occasionally frequently tried on the socks and wondered why it's 'not there yet'

So when I finally thought I was taking out sock A to admire, I realized it was time to do the toe. For both!

Whoo!!!!

Monkey
Monkey by Cookie A. on Clover 2.5mm dpns with Knitpicks Essentials in Tuscany Multi.


I'm working on projects now but I'm not talking about them yet. I've been too busy recently as I have a Japanese test tomorrow and I need to do good! (It's getting very tough but anyways) I also don't have my computer with me so hopefully I'll be able to take some pictures today and post them for some updates.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Whaaat??

I just kitchenered Monkeys in the evening.

Do you realize what this means?

I have no wip!

Zip.

The yarns for Mum's cardigan arrived in the mail today.

So I might start that soon.

Knowing me, sooner is better than later.

Now, let me bask in this surreal feeling for awhile~

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Fetching the Second

Yes! And FO!

Fetching the Second


And I didn't even have time to announce I casted on another project.

Fetching the Second


Decided to make my teacher a pair of Fetchings because they are so easy, so quick and so nice. I thought about what I had in my stash and lo and behold, of course I found something.

I never thought I'd make a pair of something again. But after finishing the second pair of Fetching, I started to wonder if I could make another pair for my friend in France. This really took very little time. I don't know if it is because I'm already familiar with the pattern, but I suspect it's also because of the 'thick' yarn (dk only, but it is thick compared to sock yarn or lace). I wasn't even 'knitting the whole day' like I would if I am anxious to finish something.

Fetching the Second

Fetching the Second in Sublime Cashmerino DK

Well ok now I can get back to my Monkey and think about when I should block my Queen Anne.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Cast off!

I just casted off Queen Anne's Lace!!

Ok I actually had to take a LOT of breaks in between because my back was hurting a bit.

I haven't blocked it but I'm happy !~~ :D

And now, I only have monkeys as a wip!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

okaaay

nothing much to report... no fos yet but the QAL looks set to be done in the next two weeks or so. I hope. I've been stagnant and had no sock project for awhile until I decided to CO monkey with my essential yarn. It looks good but really, in preparation for a change in lifestyle (read more moolah for yarns but less knitting time) I'm probably cured of my startitis!

Unfortunately, I don't know when this change is going to happen. And I'm also having this urgent need to horde more sock yarn since they seem to be the most probable projects in the earlier months of the new (but still non-existant) schedule.

ANYWAYS....

after i've infected susan with the etsy bug, she's infected me back.

I've bought yet another sock bag from stuckinillinois hehe Look how beautiful it is!

Another Sock Bag!!

And check out the lining!

Another Sock Bag!!

It houses my monkeys now heh

And I've bought yarns from Mabel too. One is on it's way though but the earlier purchase is here. :)

Silvery Blue~~

It's so beautiful and exactly what I expected~!! I have no project in mind for it yet but I'm thinking! :)

AND another skein of sock yarn from yarnlust.
This is called sunset and I must admit, when I clicked 'Add to Cart' I was thinking about Wendy's orange shawl.

Sunset

Isn't it gorgeous? The seller also included a little stitchmarker that matches the yarn and other little goodies! It's so sweet of her to do so~~ (kinda reminds me of the SP days too lol)

etsy.com is infectious. It's influenced my friend to start clicking and clicking and clicking there, never turning back. And she's not at crafter at the moment. I must admit it does have a little something for everyone, especially for those who love handmade and unique items.

Well now... excuse me while I go click some more :)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Baroque

I've finished the Baroque last friday.

Baroque

This was an interesting knit but I must admit one must MUST pay attention when knitting this. I had a lot of tinking moments and it wasn't fun with all the twisted knitting. This is also the first time I'm knitting something from the CURRENT issue of knitty. I've also made a new friend via ravelry because of these socks, and all in all, I'm a happy camper.

Baroque

Nevertheless the outcome is very beautiful. I'm glad about it too because this beautiful yarn has been ill-fated. It has gone through a few castons for a project which didn't work. So now, I'm happy to see it as a beautiful, stunning pair of Baroque.

Baroque

Baroque from Knitty with Louet Gems in French Blue on KnitPicks Harmonies 2.25mm

And guess what, with the cast off of Baroque, I now only have ONE wip!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Dragon's Cave

Please Click on the Eggs to help them Hatch!

Adopt one today!

Adopt one today!

Adopt one today!

Adopt one today!

Clicks are like vitamins to the eggs. Do visit them often here! These actions would help them hatch too~ :)

Thank you Everyone!

Monday, October 06, 2008

Muguet de Mai

Also known as Lily of the Valley Shawl, this pattern really bored me to tears. :(
I was initially drawn to the beautiful outcome of the piece, and thought it would be easy to memorize. But because of that, I got really bored with the pattern and finished two other shawls (swallowtail and hanami) in the process of knitting this.

Muguet de Mai


Nevertheless, I still love the finished product. It's a little short but the width is perfect. I've gone down needle sizes on this but I'm not regretting it. I guess it took me a long while to realize that every little bit is an advance to the finish line. :)

Muguet de Mai

Lily of the Valley Shawl from Lace Style
with Jaeggerspun Zephyr in Sage with 3.5mm Addi Turbos


I think I'm not turned off by borders after I've seen the finished product, but it'll be awhile before I'm going to do anything with borders again!

Friday, October 03, 2008

Whitby in Maldives

I started this project on the first night in Maldives. I took three days to finish the first sock with an injured hand from fishing, and another few days to finish the second after I got back.

I chose Dream in Color's Smooshy to take with me especially since the name was Beach Fog. Here's a photo to demonstrate the wonderful choice of color hehe

Day 3


The pattern is Nancy Bush's Whitby from her book Knitting On The Road. Just like all the patterns in the book is meant to be, I could memorize it very quickly and only needed to refer to it on rare occasions. It's also because of this that I could finish the pair in a short amount of time.

I took a picture of it on the dawn of the fourth day in Maldives before I packed it.

Day 4: Whitby Sock finished!


And here's the finished pair at home.

Whitby in Maldives

Whitby by Nancy Bush from Knitting on the Road
in Dream in Color Smooshy - Beach Fog - on 2.75mm bamboo dpns.


I really like the yarn!! I've read so much about it being splitty but perhaps because my needles were not very sharp, I didn't have splitting problems. At the same time, it wasn't difficult to do the cables and the stitch definition is great! I saw many on Ravelry using the same yarn to do other sock patterns that require great definition and they all turned out beautiful. (Oh and it has great yardage too!) So I really foresee myself getting more of these!

Whitby in Maldives

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Hanami

Hanami


I finished this about a month ago but have been busy and didn't block it until I came back from Maldives. And then by then I had hurt my hand on a fishing trip so the blocking wasn't spectacular. But anyways I still love the shawl a lot and am totally obsessed with the yarn. So, I will definitely reblock it now that my hand has almost fully recovered.

Oh and this is my favorite part of the shawl.

Hanami

Hanami Stole by Melanie @ Pink Lemon Twist
with KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud in Smoke Heather on 3.25mm Addi Lace


Hanami

Friday, September 12, 2008

Trystero and other updates.

I finished Trystero yesterday!!

Trystero


I have been knitting this sock almost forever. I started the first sock in April or May or something but had to frog and cast on again about three times. Although I got the gauge right, somehow it was just too tight to be worn unless I'm looking for wrist-warmers or foot-covers.

Trystero


I don't really blame the pattern nor the yarn. Although the single-ply must have had something to do with the stretchiness of the sock, the colors made it all worth it. The pattern is also very fun to do and I can zip through a repeat very quickly! So while it's true that I love the yarn AND the pattern, and the eventual outcome, I guess there are times when I just get tired of things.

Trystero

Trystero by Cookie A.
3mm Harmony DPNs
Noro Kureyon Sock


I really love the pattern and am looking forward to the next Cookie pattern I'll cast on. I have a teeny bit of the yarn left and I have another ball in another color. I might make a shawl out of it this time.

Meanwhile, I've finished Hanami but I haven't blocked it. I've also casted on Queen Anne's Lace which I might just call La Reine. It's in Zephyr (mahogany) and I'm still at chart 1. Muguet de Mai's center panel is finished and I've picked up the stitches for the border. I'm tired after picking up. blah. I think it's about 600 over stitches. *faints* And I've wound my Dream in Color sock yarn in Beach Fog for... Maldives~! I'm planning to do Nancy Bush's Whitby with it.

So yes I'm looking forward to knitting at the beach next week with La Reine and Whitby!

PS: I bought the Debbie Bliss VK mag.It's quite nice and the more I look at it the more I love the patterns!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Cotton

Cotton


Actually I finished this on Sunday and was doing kitchener stitch on the toes of the second sock by the time we received our Olympic Medal after a drought of 48 years.

The first sock was done awhile ago but the second took a bit of time. So what could be more apt than to put this up for Ravelympics 2008? Of course after I finished Ester, I was all ready to finish more projects! I zipped through this with turning the heel on friday while watching the Table Tennis Women's Team Semi-Finals. And the rest of the leg and toes while waiting for and watching the Finals on Sunday. The Semi-Finals was such an exciting match I had to stop a few times for fear of breaking my needles. And the finals? Well it was such a good match I did stop and watch in awe many times~!

The silly thing is, I realized this wasn't tagged for Ravelympics after all!! For some reason, it was just not tagged and I just thought it was. Much to my disappointment, of course. Sigh. :( But in a way I'm quite glad since I got to finish another project.

Cotton
Cotton in Regia Surf Color, using the Eyelet Bar stitch Pattern with Narrow Heel in Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Knitted Socks. Needles were 2.25mm Ebony Sox Stix.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Ester

Ester

Ester by Alice Bell. Made with Jaeger Merino Aran with 5mm Addi Circulars

This project is also part of Ravelympics 2008's WIP Wrestling

Monday, August 11, 2008

Little bits of Beading

I did some beading on Friday. I guess I've been wanting to bead for awhile but never had the chance to sit down and do it until now.

Heart and Gothic Cross


The Cross pattern is taken from a Japanese magazine Beads News, and is made with Purple Velvet and Jet Hermatite Swarovski crystals. The Heart is also from the same magazine and is made from swarovski crystals as well except I can't remember the color. I think I might give it to Mang. hehe it looks nice on her.

Meanwhile I'm trying to finish my Ester today for Ravelympics. I was watching Synchro Diving, Soccer and Hockey while doing the project off and on.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Oh C'mon. It's just 5.

I'm talking about WIPs.

Many would know that I have startitis. I just like to start projects and live with the idea of having anything and everything available, whenever and wherever I want it. I mean, sometimes, I feel like doing lace. Sometimes, socks. Sometimes something brainless. Sometimes a difficult sock. Sometimes boring lace. Sometimes cabling.

So ok, when I heard of the Ravelympics, I was thinking ... Shall I start a sock? A scarf? A shawl? What shall I do? Which Event should I take part in? Well, what could be more apt than to join the WIP Wrestling event. It's time to finish up those socks and the cardi I started.

What cardi?

Here, have a look at all the WIPs I have on hand and are going for Ravlympics.

Ester in Progress
Ester: I'm at the sleeve/collar thing part and reaching the last ribbings soon. But I think ribbing is boring.

One Trystero
Trystero: One more to go (less the cuff cos I've already done that)

Cotton
Cotton: I think there's only 70% of the second sock to go.

Here are the two WIPs that I have and aren't going for Ravelympics because I decided not to be too ambitious.

Hanami in Progress
Hanami: I'm going to finish the Basketweave section today so if that happens I'm going to be at the 50% mark.

Muguet de Mai
Muguet de Mai: It's the 9th repeat of 10.... but I still have the border to go! bleah.

I think I'm in a lace phase at the moment. I feel like casting on 1000000 lace projects. I might cast on Queen Anne IF I finish all my Ravelympics stuff Plus I finish 75% of Hanami and all the repeats less the border of Muguet de Mai.

Now: Watch me break my own promise.

Monday, August 04, 2008

More Yarn!

As if it can never be enough~

Socks that Rock
Silkie


Silkie STR - Backstabber
Backstabber

Lightweights

STR - Pallas Athena
Pallas Athena

STR - Tanzanite
Tanzanite

Kauni Effektgarn

Kauni - Lila Art
Lila Art

Habu Textiles
Stainless Steel


Habu Textiles Avril
Gray

Superfine Merino

Habu Textiles Avril
Brown

Rowan Kidsilk Haze

Rowan KSH - Majestic
Majestic